What’s new at the Ionia County Historical Society?

The society will host a Main Street Scavenger Hunt from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 22 as part of the Summer in the City Celebration.

Linda Ciangi Special to the Ionia Sentinel-Standard

An extensive collection of print items has been donated to the Ionia County Historical Society by the Gregory family. Among the items was a photo of the Ionia Water Works dated Jan. 12, 1960, with a truck and tractor beside the building.

The triangle-shaped structure was painted silver and located at the foot of Bliss Street on Jackson Street. A deep, narrow creek with cement walls ran along the west side of the building. In the winter, the area next to the creek was flooded for ice skating, and there was a much appreciated warming shed.

Downtown history is on our agenda. The society will host a Main Street Scavenger Hunt from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 22 as part of the Summer in the City Celebration.

The event will begin with teams signing in at the Commission on Aging parking lot on Hudson Street and receiving the questions for the hunt prepared by David McCord. To aid participants who might get stuck while on the search, a “shout out” has been set up so a phone call to David will enable the team to receive a clue in exchange for a service to the society. One example would be “hosting at the reception desk of the Blanchard House on a summer Sunday in June, July or August.”

Teams completing the scavenger hunt correctly will be entered in a drawing to win a free rental of the Blanchard House, a $300 value. Teams are encouraged to wear colorful, fun and matching outfits. Contact Linda Ciangi at 616-527-4945 or visit www.ioniahistory.org to sign up for this adventure.

The “Let’s Floor It!” campaign will raise funds for new carpeting in the main floor west parlor and the upstairs master bedroom at the Blanchard House. On June 23, as a close to the Summer in the City Celebration, the society will host its usual tours of the Blanchard House from 1 to 4 p.m. Then the public is invited to attend a silent auction complete with refreshments and music.

The auction will feature items donated to the society specifically for this carpeting fundraiser, including a hand-painted sign from the 1970s that reads “Thanks for Visiting Ionia” and white with green stripe dishes used at the Ionia Coney Island in the 400 block of West Main Street. There also will be furniture, books and other treasures connected to history, vintage photos and a typewriter from the Dow Smith plant. For those who recall the candy counter at McLellan’s Dime Store, society member and former store manager Chuck Renn has donated the scales used to weight the delightful variety of candy that was scooped up and slid into little white bags.

The society invites the community to stop by the Blanchard House June 23 to view the silent auction items and share in the memories that are part of Ionia County history. For more information about the society and its upcoming events, visit www.ioniahistory.org.